Chapter 7

Chapter

Seven

EINAR

I left Harper and went straight to my study. The fire burned low, its heat doing battle with the chill that drifted from the windows.

I rooted in my desk drawers, clenching my jaw as each one failed to yield a flask.

"Dammit," I muttered, bending and rifling through the deep bottom drawers I rarely opened. Fire seared my veins, anger pumping hotter with every beat of my heart.

My fingers closed around something hard.

A flask.

Fucking finally. I fell into my chair, my hand shaking as I unscrewed the top and tipped my head back.

The flask was empty. I shook it, and a few drops of witch's brew landed on my tongue. Not nearly enough. The fire in my veins climbed higher. Sweat beaded on my skin.

Flinging the flask into the open drawer, I gripped the edge of the desk and raised my voice. "Arlo!"

"I'm here," he said, rushing into the study. Relief pounded through me at the sight of the flask in his hand. "Freshly brewed, sir," he added, coming to the desk and handing the flask over.

I yanked the top off and downed half the contents in a single gulp. As the witch's brew set fires under my skin, Arlo watched me with a concerned expression.

"It's been a while since you needed this many doses in such rapid succession."

It took a minute for the fire to dim sufficiently for me to speak. "I'm fine. Last night's brew was weak."

Arlo's horns flickered in and out of view. "I'll check the dosage."

"Good idea."

He glanced at the windows. "I thought I heard Myrna."

"You did," I said, swiping the back of my hand across my mouth. "Harper heard her, too. And saw her. They had an encounter."

Arlo's eyes widened. He lowered himself into one of the chairs in front of my desk. "Is Miss Ward all right?"

"Considering she saw Myrna shift and then take to the sky, I'd say she's doing pretty well." I relayed the whole story, explaining how I'd arrived too late to stop Myrna from flying off. As I spoke, Arlo's horns grew more solid, the black spirals curving against either side of his head. When I finished, he exhaled heavily.

"Myrna will return. She always does."

I screwed the top back on the flask. "Leave some nuts and dried corn near the maze's entrance. She'll probably stay in beast form. Flying makes her hungry. The food will attract her."

Arlo nodded. Then he looked at the flask on the desk, his dark eyes thoughtful. His horns faded, only to reappear a second later.

"What is it?"

He hesitated.

"I pay you to be honest with me, Arlo. What's bothering you?"

"Miss Ward is nothing like her father."

I grunted. "She's a reporter. She's everything like her father."

A smile touched Arlo's lips. "She's definitely curious. But that's natural given the circumstances, don't you think? Draithmere isn't an ordinary house. Now that she's seen Myrna, she's bound to have questions."

"Trust me, she has no problem asking them." Unbidden, images of Harper standing in the morning sunlight flashed in my mind. Her T-shirt had clung to her chest, leaving little to the imagination. Her nipples had pushed against the paper-thin material like little spears. In the sun, her hair looked more red than blond. And when I lifted her in my arms, the scent of vanilla and honeysuckle had clouded my lungs. It wasn't her perfume. It was her .

The fire crackled, jerking me from my thoughts. Arlo watched me, and I realized I'd lapsed into silence.

"Um…" I cleared my throat. "Anyway, that…happened."

Arlo was quiet for a moment. And he seemed to choose his next words carefully. "Miss Ward has a kind heart. And she's been through a great deal these past few years."

I sat back in my chair. Had Harper charmed Arlo in the short time they'd interacted? An uncomfortable sensation stirred in my chest. I rubbed at my sternum. Probably heartburn. I pinned Arlo with a look. "You disapprove of the way I've handled her."

"It will be difficult to keep her in her room all the time. If she discovers?—"

"She won't," I said. "I assume you told her to stay away from the maze?"

Arlo sat taller in his chair, a hint of challenge in his eyes. "In my experience, Your Highness, the fastest way to tempt someone into exploring a forbidden area is to tell them they can't go near it. Miss Ward trained as an investigative journalist. I can only assume that warning her away from the maze will end with her sneaking outside to get a better look at it."

Damn. He was probably right. I rubbed at my mouth. "We'll have to find something else for her to do. Maybe put a television in her room."

Arlo frowned. "Do you think that will be enough to occupy her?"

"Give her your streaming passwords, then. Women like movies, right? Dramas. Romance shows."

Arlo's frown turned into something that might have been bemusement. "I'm not sure that's a universal rule."

Irritation flared. I drummed my fingers on the arm of my chair. "Fine. Order some books for her."

"I could…" he said slowly, appearing to consider it.

I stopped drumming. "But?"

"But you should be prepared for her to ask about her college coursework. Miss Ward doesn't strike me as the type of person to let that go."

"The university isn't going anywhere. She can finish her studies when my business with her father is concluded. Speaking of which, have you heard from our scheming friend?"

"Orson sent an email in the early hours of the morning. I was on my way in here to tell you when I heard you searching for a flask. Orson insists he turned everything over."

Yeah, right. I dug in the pocket of my sweatpants and withdrew the gauze I'd saved from treating Harper's toe. As I dropped the handful of bloodied material on the desk, Arlo's nostrils twitched.

"It's hers," I said. "Send it to Ward."

Arlo swallowed. "Should I send a note?"

"Just tell him it's from me. Let him wonder how I got it. I want him checking his mail, worried I'll send worse."

"Yes, sir." Arlo's horns grew more solid.

I let my gaze linger on them a moment before meeting Arlo's stare. "My tactics might seem harsh, old friend, but they're in our best interests. And Harper's. Don't you want her back at school, learning how to delve into people's private lives without shame or remorse?"

Arlo didn't rise to the bait. He simply took the gauze from the desk and stood. "I'll send this as you instructed, Your Highness."

I suppressed a sigh. "Thanks. And don't forget about the books and TV."

"Of course not, sir. Consider it done."

"Have there been any rumblings from the Puget Sound Pack?" A change in leadership was always a volatile time within a werewolf pack. Depending on how many wolves threw their hat in the ring, dozens of pack members could die in the dominance contests that followed. Which was perfect.

"Nothing," Arlo said. "It appears they're licking their wounds."

"We cut the head off the snake. If they pick a new alpha, we'll repeat the process until the pack is too depleted to survive." Like any social group, packs needed numbers and a hierarchy. The Puget Sound Pack was small, but it had been well-organized under Rex Addington. He'd been dominant enough to compel the respect and obedience of even the most vicious wolves. From what I knew of the pack, no other wolf was strong enough to keep the rest in line. The remaining wolves were likely to drift to other packs. Some of the stronger ones might attempt to live as lone wolves. If they did, I'd pick them off one by one.

"I'll keep my ears open for any developments," Arlo said.

"Thank you."

He left, and I slid lower in my chair, my gaze on the fire. Maybe Arlo was right to disapprove of me sending the bloodstained gauze to Ward. But I couldn't keep Harper in my house. If it hadn't been clear to me before, it was now. She was a nuisance. A…distraction. The sooner she left, the better. In the meantime, I had to keep my distance.

No matter what happened, I was staying as far away from Harper Ward as possible.